Valley Forge - 40 Years Later


Yesterday, I went for a five mile run around Valley Forge Park. It is about 5 miles to do the circuit. Today, my body really smarts. Not sure why it was so strenuous. Age is cruel and irrevocable. I think my exercise regiment helps keep me young but also inflicts some collateral damage. I don't just bounce back. A day off tends to get me back into a healed zone. I listen to my body but also know that it lies. It tries to persuade me that I don't need to work out and I have to treat it like a truculent child and force it out of the house. Boy, I love the word truculent.

One day I won't be able to run any more, or walk. So, I try to keep this in mind and be thankful as my knee aches. It could be worse and soon will be. The resurrection is a remarkable idea and reality, physical and spiritual restoration. Jesus going through walls and eating fish on the sea shore.

The run seemed like a fitting thing to do on July 4th. Independence is not easy and in a real way exercising our citizenship is like an athletic regiment. The body politic is flabby and so are we.    

About half-way through the run, I peeled off my shirt and ran topless. Doing so really cools my off, like taking the roof off of a convertible. It made me think of an incident about 40 years ago while me and the neighborhood posse, all around ten years of age except for our leader Steve who was 4 years older--where we were hiking through Valley Forge with our shirts off, and a park official told us to be our shirts back on. Now, I can't imagine that being an issue today.  We complied. I should have shouted "Don't Tread on Me" and see what would have happened.

We would routinely go down to Valley Forge Park to trek which was about 5 miles away from our homes. In fact, I could see the Arch above from a neighbor's back yard.  To me it symbolizes independence itself. It was constructed over a century ago to honor the sacrifices of the Continental Army. It is a replica of an Arch in Rome constructed in honor of the Roman Armies who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. How the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome is parallel to the colonies liberation from England seems odd.

Yet, the Arch is a stirring tribute and Washington's words sill move me by their sentiment:




As I ran past the Arch yesterday, I contemplated that one generation's freedom is founded on previous generations' sacrifice. When people say that they are "spiritual" I try to see what they sacrifice. Sacrifice is spiritual and it is running away from mere self-interest to a greater good, maybe even deferred to the next generations.

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